Floralba Smith Diaz

1939 - 2010

Our dearest, Floralba Smith Diaz, died on Tuesday, April 20, 2010, in her home surrounded by her family. This was following a courageous, two-year battle of cancer. She was born to Jose Diaz Gonzalez and Petra Gonzalez Lozano on Sept. 12, 1939, in Lamadrid, Coahuila, Mexico.
She graduated as a bilingual secretary in the English Commercial Institute in Castanos, Coahuila, Mexico. She was later called to serve in the Andes Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This mission included Lima and Arequipa, Peru; Arica Chile; and Quito, Ecuador. Upon her return from her two-year mission, she married Arthur Flint Smith of Parker on June 1, 1968, in the Oakland, Calif., LDS temple. They have been married nearly 42 years.
Together, they raised a beautiful family and lived in San Jose, Calif.; Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; Brookfield, Conn.; Hollister Calif.; Mexico City and Provo/Orem Utah. She loved serving her husband, children and grandchildren throughout all the days of her life. Floralba enjoyed cooking, cleaning, gardening, sewing, and serving in the Relief Society. Her enthusiasm for life and living the gospel of Jesus Christ has had a ripple effect to all who knew her.
She is survived by her husband, Arthur Flint Smith; children, Debbie (Mathew) Miles of Rexburg, Roy (Sueli) Smith, Joseph (Sandra) Smith and stepdaughter Mary Louise (Paul) Hoefnagels of Orem Utah, Patricia (Juan) Rivera, Marile (Rod) Borget, Laura (Jay) Faumui of Provo Utah, Glen Smith of Houston, Paul (Amber) Smith of Price, Utah, and stepdaughter Catherine (Mike) Hayes of Conneautville, Pa.; sisters, Rosa Elida Alvaradejo of Cuautla, Morelos Mexico; Delia Palmira Torres and brother Juan Sergio Hernandez of Monterey, Nuevo Leon Mexico; 35 grandchildre and two great grandchildren.
She was preceded in death by her mother, Petra Hernandez Lozano; father, Jose Diaz Gonzalez; her stepfather, Marcelino Hernandez Gonzalez; step-daughter Sandra Lynn Smith; and granddaughters Puuaelo Faumui and Bella Smith.
Funeral services will be held at 11 a.m. on Saturday, April 24, at the LDS Cherryhill 6th Ward chapel at 1650 S. 200 East, Orem, Utah. The family will receive close friends for a viewing at the church on Saturday, April 24, at 10 a.m. prior to the services. A dedicatory service and burial will be held later that day at 5 p.m. in the Parker cemetery.
En lieu of flowers, Floralba requested contributions be made to the missionary or perpetual education funds of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints at your local ward.
The reason is two-fold: It was the service of two missionaries sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ that blessed her and family throughout her life, and it was through the generosity of others that helped fund her mission.
Condolences to the family may be sent online to www.bidwellfuneralhome.com.